After a morning among the sculptures at Austin's Umlauf Sculpture Garden, I'm ready for some edible art.

Good food and drink sustain passion, at least that's what I think as I dig in to the lunch special at Güero's Taco Bar on South Congress Avenue, where creative twists take Tex-Mex beyond the ordinary. The made-from-scratch margaritas offer a different taste of art. 1412 S. Congress Ave., Austin. GuerosTacoBar

.com or 512-447-7688.

After Benini Sculpture Ranch outside Johnson City, Fredericksburg Herb Farm is a good first stop. The farm's renovated stone restaurant is surrounded by flower, herb and vegetable gardens accented with sculpture, including a local artist's bronzes of children at play. Inside, the chef focuses on fresh local foods, creative preparation and beautiful presentation, including house-made focaccia bread with airy texture and buttery crunchy crust. 405 Whitney St.,

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FredericksburgHerbFarm.com or 830-997-8615.

Not far away, the Fredericksburg Pie Co. offers some of the best pie in Texas. Fillings such as chunky tart peaches and buttery toasted pecans nestle in tender, flaky and flavorful crusts. 108 E. Austin St., Fredericksburg. FredericksburgTexasShopping.

com or 830-990-6992.

Fifteen minutes from Old Oaks Ranch, the Leaning Pear in Wimberley offers lunches that straddle the divide between comfort food and new American fare. The menu includes dishes such as roasted poblano pimento cheese on marbled rye and a house salad of mixed greens with shallot vinaigrette, local goat cheese, spiced pecans and pear garnish. Add a cup of the day's soup, maybe potato-dill based on house-made stock, and you might want to move to Wimberley to be closer to the restaurant. 111 River Road, Wimberley. LeaningPear.com or 512-847-7327.

Where to stay

The options for those who want to see the Hill Country sculpture trail in one trip are either to sleep in one place and spend more time in the car, or move between an eastern base and a western base for less time driving. The longest drive of the trail is about 90 minutes.

For a Hill Country immersion, Fredericksburg is about 30 minutes west of Johnson City and offers the most options for lodging, shopping, dining, wineries and other activities. The drive from Fredericksburg to Umlauf in Austin is about 90 minutes, to Benini near Johnson City about 30 minutes, to Marble Falls an hour, and to Old Oaks Ranch near Wimberley, 90 minutes. fredericksburg-texas.com/Lodging.

Austin and Wimberley are best for Umlauf Sculpture Gardens and Old Oaks Ranch, with drives around 45 minutes. DowntownAustin.com/

business/hotels; Visit

Wimberley.com, click lodging.

Johnson City or Blanco are close stay-over options for Benini Sculpture Ranch and Main Street Marble Falls, with drives of 30 to 45 minutes. JohnsonCity-Texas.com, click Member Directory/Lodging; BlancoChamber.com/members/lodging/